1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates generally to a character code converting system realized on a multi-platform environment including a plurality of platforms. More specifically, the invention relates to a character code converting system for code-converting character data exchanged between processing programs, such as applications and middlewares, each of which operates on a corresponding one of platforms, and a computer readable recording medium in which a character code converting program has been recorded.
2. Description of The Related Art
In a typical open system, such as a Web system utilizing Internet or a conventional client/server system, a plurality of platforms having different coding schemes are mixed due to the difference in operating system or the like. In such a multi-platform environment, when a linkage between functions, such as a linkage between applications or a linkage between an application and a middleware, is carried out, it is necessary that the same character is treated as a unique character between a plurality of different coding schemes depending on the platforms, so that it is required to code-convert character data exchanged in the linkage between functions.
When an application carries out the linkage between applications via a middleware or when an application exchanges character data directly with a middleware itself, such as a data base management system (DBMS), to carry out the linkage between an application and a middleware, the character data are typically transmitted while carrying out a code conversion via a code converting module in the middleware.
In the middleware for use in such an open system as a premise, the code converting module does not often correspond to the types of characters, such as special characters (vendor-designed characters) and external characters (user-designed characters), which depend on a specific platform, and the structure in the code converting module is typically a black box.
Therefore, conventionally, for example, the transmission of special characters and external characters is individually defined by the application in a transmission source or a receiving destination to convert the special characters and external characters into predetermined character codes by means of a code converting library or the like, which is provided in each application to exchange character data via a code converting module in the middleware.
However, in the above described conventional method, since the conversion of special characters and external characters is individually carried out every application by means of the code converting library or the like, it is required to manage the code converting library and mapping information every application, so that there is a problem in that character data miss when character data are exchanged between coding schemes other than coding schemes supported by the code converting library or when mapping information varies.